Chapter 88: Chapter 86: Adorably Dopey Little Skeleton
The Forest of Lost Souls was grim and dark. No other colors could be seen here; the only shade was black.
Black trees, black grass, black soil, black wisps of fog...
Deep within this Black Forest, Jiang Jichen had completely lost his sense of direction. Fortunately, after climbing to the top of a giant, ancient black tree, he finally spotted Heaven-Gazing Peak in the distance. He also saw several mountain peaks at the edge of the Black Forest, shrouded in black mist. ’That must be the deepest part of the Moonlight Forest.’
And so, Jiang Jichen set off. Moving through the Forest of Lost Souls felt like walking through a Ghost Realm; the atmosphere was incredibly oppressive.
He often saw Undead, wreathed in black mist, drifting past him. However, they were wary of the Seven-colored Spiritual Power on his body and ultimately never lunged at him.
From the shadows, Jiang Jichen could sense a pair of eyes constantly watching him. The feeling, like being targeted by a Ghost King, was terrifying.
In the Forest of Lost Souls, all life perishes. There is no reincarnation, no rebirth—only lonely souls drifting for eternity!
Besides the lonely souls, there were also terrifying death Restrictions. Touching one was like being hit with a death curse that would drain one’s Life Energy!
Jiang Jichen had accidentally brushed against one, but his Seven-colored Spiritual Power had incinerated it, preventing it from corroding his Life Energy.
It seemed the Seven-Colored Spirit Vein was the bane of the Forest of Lost Souls!
Otherwise, given his Cultivation, even a million lives wouldn’t have been enough to survive walking through here.
Undead continuously drifted past him, letting out mournful wails that made the Black Forest seem even more sinister and horrifying.
And then there were the cold eyes watching from the dark. ’Alright, if I weren’t so strong-willed, I probably would have been scared to death by now.’
Fortunately, aside from the death Restrictions and the Wraith Fog, there were no other major dangers. As for the entity watching him from the shadows, it showed no intention of revealing itself, which Jiang Jichen found a little strange.
However, after walking for over a dozen kilometers, Jiang Jichen finally encountered a real threat!
It was fifteen Soul Bone Beasts. Their skeletons were massive and as hard as stone, and a crimson Soul Fire burned within their skulls.
The aura they released was extremely powerful, and they were savage creatures unique to this land of the dead.
They were only equivalent to Innate Fourth Realm Spirit Beasts, but they were far more ferocious and powerful than normal ones.
As long as their Soul Fire was not extinguished, their power would be endless, and they would fight ceaselessly. They were incredibly savage.
But Jiang Jichen was no longer the same man he was before. With his Seven-Colored Spirit Vein unsealed, he could unleash his full combat strength!
Facing the fifteen Red Soul Bone Beasts, Jiang Jichen was about to charge into battle and test the power of his Seven-colored Spiritual Power.
But just then, he suddenly sensed something. His gaze shifted to the Darkness behind him, where a small skeleton was wobbling out into the open.
The Little Skeleton looked as if it had just arrived in this world. It was very curious about its surroundings, swiveling its small skull to look left and right before stopping to tilt its head back as if in thought. The sight was utterly comical.
It tilted its head back in thought for a moment, then resumed looking left and right as it continued to move forward.
Jiang Jichen noticed that the reason the Little Skeleton wobbled was because the knee joint of its left leg bone was somewhat damaged, making its body very unstable.
But though the Little Skeleton seemed on the verge of falling with every step, it never did. The positioning, force, and frequency of its right foot’s movements were filled with a profound subtlety, allowing it to maintain its balance as it moved.
A strange light flickered in Jiang Jichen’s eyes. He could tell this Little Skeleton was different.
The Little Skeleton was very weak. It only had a gray Soul Fire within its skull, and it was so dim it looked as if a strong gust of wind could blow it out at any moment.
It wobbled forward, its field of vision extremely limited. It hadn’t even seen Jiang Jichen yet, let alone the fifteen ferocious Red Soul Bone Beasts.
Undead Creatures grew stronger by devouring the Soul Fire of their own kind. One as weak as this Little Skeleton probably wouldn’t even survive a single swipe from the Red Soul Bone Beasts.
But the Little Skeleton was completely unaware of the danger it was in. It wobbled forward until it was three meters from Jiang Jichen, and only then did it finally see him.
At that moment, it stopped. Its two empty eye sockets stared curiously at Jiang Jichen as it tilted its small skull, looking up at a forty-degree angle as if pondering the meaning of life.
It was a little dorky, a little goofy, and a little... ridiculous!
Of course, Jiang Jichen couldn’t laugh right now, because the fifteen Red Soul Bone Beasts were already charging.
The vast majority were charging at Jiang Jichen, but two of them had spotted the Gray Soul Little Skeleton and lunged for it as well.
’Seriously?’ The Little Skeleton was still staring dopily at Jiang Jichen, seemingly looking joyful, like a child who had just seen something it liked.
Of course, a skeleton couldn’t possibly have an expression. This was all just Jiang Jichen’s imagination. After all, the Little Skeleton didn’t seem like an ordinary, low-intelligence skeleton with a Gray Soul.
’It can think!’
’Well, that’s just my guess, anyway!’
The giant bone claws of the two Red Soul Bone Beasts were about to smash down on the Little Skeleton’s tiny frame. Although they were still four or five meters away, at their speed, they would be on it in an instant.
Jiang Jichen simply couldn’t stand by and watch indifferently. His Seven-colored Spiritual Power circulated as he executed the Second Form of Shadow Step: the Void Shadowless Technique.
Leaving an afterimage in his place, Jiang Jichen had already snatched up the Little Skeleton and retreated several dozen meters away!
BOOM!
A huge crater was blasted into the spot where he had stood. Rotting leaves scattered, dirt flew, cracks spiderwebbed across the ground, and countless black leaves fluttered down.
The attack from fifteen Red Soul Bone Beasts was equivalent to a combined strike from fifteen Innate Fourth Realm experts. The power and momentum were indeed terrifying to the extreme.
"Little Gray Skeleton, stay here!"
Jiang Jichen set the Little Skeleton down. The little guy was still in a daze, seemingly unaware of what had just happened, and stared blankly at Jiang Jichen.
However, it heard Jiang Jichen’s words—heard Jiang Jichen call it "Little Gray." At that moment, the gray Soul Fire in its skull suddenly flickered, seeming to grow a little brighter.
Jiang Jichen had no time to pay attention to it now. There were fifteen Red Soul Bone Beasts that he needed to deal with!
However, the fifteen Red Soul Bone Beasts had first-class speed and reflexes. Having missed with their first attack, their second was already on its way.
Jiang Jichen took a step forward, shielding the Little Skeleton and preventing the Red Soul Bone Beasts from lunging at it again.
"Seven Stars Gathering, Starlight Illumination!"
Jiang Jichen threw a punch. His fist not only condensed the power of seven punches and created an Anomaly of starlight filling the sky, but more importantly, it was wreathed in ceaselessly regenerating Seven-Colored Spiritual Patterns!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
He threw several punches in quick succession. Seven of the Red Soul Bone Beasts were sent flying, large parts of their hard skeletons shattered. Even their Soul Fire seemed to have been corroded by the Seven-colored Spiritual Power, dimming slightly.
But at the same time, the other eight Red Soul Bone Beasts closed in and surrounded them, getting less than three meters away from him and the Little Skeleton.
Just then, before Jiang Jichen could make a move, the Soul Fire of the Little Skeleton beside him suddenly flared. As if sensing something’s presence, it moved.
